The lone snake and the copy-cat ninja
by panos907
Summary: "Anko has to learn the truth about her master. But what happens afterwards , she could never have imagined..." I finally got to finish this after many months of on-and-off working on it. One of the most obscure ships in the Naruto universe, yet one i think has a lot of potential. Any reviews that provide constructive criticism are more than welcome.
The old building that used to serve as the hideout for one of Konoha's exiled shinobi now stood completely empty. Having been abandoned by its owner in a hurry, it was now in ruins. The kunoichi took a few more steps closer to it. She knew that building. That was the building where she had spent many hours during her childhood. Ah, she had such good memories of those times. At that time she was still in the academy, her master was still close to her, and they would often spend time together. Her master was a really passionate young man, had a big thirst for knowledge, and a wide smile would often appear on his face when they were together. If she made a mistake, he would calmly explain to her why what she did was wrong, never yelling at her or punishing her. He was the father she never had. With no parents, and really few friends, he was the only one she could trust.

"Ah, there I go just randomly thinking of him again. I have to focus on the present. Maybe this place can help me get some answers at last." Yes, she really did need some answers. Why did her master leave her behind? Why did he take her memories of the time right before he left? She hoped that coming back to that place might help in recovering her memories. As she walked a little more towards the ruins, a light breeze started blowing, and the clouds started to move away. Now she could see the full moon shining on the sky, which made the island she stood on be brightly lit like the fire that burned her shoulder. It was the cursed seal, a gift from her master the last time she had encountered him and failed to capture him. That snake-loving shinobi she used to love as a father had turned into an absolutely cold and evil person, with his hunger for power growing and growing. She couldn't really believe it, how he had betrayed her and turned his back on his own village. But, looking back on their time spent together, she could remember how much of a perfectionist he was, how much he hated losing, and how dedicated he was to his studies and experiments, often ignoring her in order to work. At the time, because of her young age, she had thought that he was simply too busy, but now, she knew. He didn't really care for anyone but himself. Not for her, not for the village, not for the lives of the villagers he performed his illegal experiments on. If she had known about these experiments on humans back then, she would have instantly left him, informing the village leader, Sarutobi, in the process. But, when he found out, it was too late. Orochimaru had already finished his preparations, and managed to flee before being captured.

As the kunoichi kept walking, she saw the door of the main laboratory room in front of her. She stopped and took a deep breath. This was it. Now hopefully she would get some answers. She slowly opened the door and entered the room. It was completely dark. She could only see a little because of the light coming through the holes on the celling. Then, as she walked a little more, she suddenly felt a really, really sharp pain on her forehead. She reached for her forehead protector, and slowly rubbed her head to make the pain go away. But it was unbearable. She fell on her knees and let out a scream. As she tried to endure it, she saw something in front of her. She saw herself, a lot younger, when she was still under Orochimaru's care. Orochimaru was standing in front of her, dressed in his usual working uniform. "So, what will you do?" , he asked. "Will you come with me, my dear student?" .At that moment, Anko could see her younger self slowly nodding no with her head. "Very well", said Orochimaru. "Goodbye then", he added, hitting her slightly on the head, knocking her unconscious, and exited the building. At that moment, the vision she was seeing disappeared, and Anko was left alone in the room. "So, that's what happened after all. I chose myself. He didn't leave me. I chose for myself "she whispered, but then, the pain got so sharp that she couldn't endure it any longer, and she fell unconscious.

As she started to regain consciousness, she slightly opened her eyes, only to find out someone was sitting next to her, with a bonfire burning close to him. She knew this man. He was tall, thin, in the usual Jounin uniform of Konoha, with grey hair and wearing a mask that kept his face constantly hidden. As she noticed him, she felt at ease, knowing that a comrade was beside her. Anko opened her eyes completely and turned her head to look at him. "What are you doing here, Kakashi?" she asked him. At the sound of her voice, he turned his head and looked at her, a smile making its way to his face. "Tsunade sent me to look for you. You were gone for quite a lot of days, so we thought that something might have happened to you. ", he said. "Not really. I just wasted most of my time in finding this place. It's been so many years since I last came here that I'd forgotten how to find the way. Orochimaru sure knows how to keep his lab hidden. "She replied. "Anyway, it's getting pretty late, and it's too risky to be travelling at night. You should get some rest, and we can go in the morning." said Kakashi. Anko answered yes with a nod of her head, and lied down again. "I'm not really that tired, so I'll keep watch over you. Good night, Anko" said Kakashi, turned his back on her, and sat down. Anko closed her eyes and tried to relax, feeling pretty assured in the thought that he was there to watch over her. If she got attacked during the night, she wouldn't be able to protect herself because of some injuries she had endured throughout her journey, and the dizziness she was experiencing even now.

Kakashi spent the night quite peacefully, focusing his mind on his own private thoughts, while also taking constant looks behind his back to make sure everything was ok. He hated to admit it to himself, but he was feeling nice, being with a comrade, especially one he felt so close with. She was one of the few people he actually felt very comfortable with. She was pretty straight-forward, with her tongue being toxic at times and her casual demeanor, teasing him often. He started thinking about his situation. Come to think of it, he had never been alone with a girl ever since Rin died. Why, he hadn't found a girl whom he felt close with, except for Anko. But, with their busy lives as Jounin, he hardly had time to consider his personal life. Though, these days, with peace all around his village, he could just relax, maybe get to know her a little more. He smiled at that thought. "It's about time" , he whispered to himself. As the hours passed by, he started getting sleepier, so he leaned against a nearby tree and relaxed without falling asleep.

When morning came, Anko woke up to find him in that same position, not having moved an inch. "Good morning, Kakashi" she said, and he turned his head at the sound of her voice. "Good morning, Anko. Now that you re awake, I think its best we get going." Anko nodded yes with her head, but as she got up and tried to walk towards him, she felt a sharp pain at her left ankle, and winced. "Damn, I had totally forgotten about that ankle. I got injured on my way here, but I patched it up and it was ok, until now" she said, her face becoming a mix of anger and seriousness.

"Hmmmmm… that could be a problem. Well, if you can't walk, I could carry you on my back. It'll be much faster this way" , he suggested. Anko slowly turned her gaze towards him. "Wait, what? Really now? ", she asked him, an angry tone in her voice. "I guess it can't be helped. Whatever. ", she added. She climbed onto his back, and off they were.

It took Kakashi a few minutes to swim the distance from the small island to the shore, but he didn't slow down or stop at all when he reached solid ground. He started running towards Konoha quickly, but with a steady pace, while Anko clinged tightly to him, holding her arms crossed in front of his chest and her legs stretched out to the sides of his waist, Kakashi's hands holding her thighs. As time passed, they started chatting about different things. About their teams, about all their recent missions, about what was the first thing they'd do when they got home. "Well, I'm going to go give Tsunade a small report on the situation and that will be it. Hey, Anko, I was thinking… we've been friends for quite a while now, but we don't really see each other apart from work, well, if you don't count this encounter. Maybe… just maybe…ehhmmm… ", he said, his voice shaking in the last words. "Oh, come on now Kakashi, you're not usually the one who doesn't know what to say. Just say it already. What is it?" she asked him, her voice containing only honest curiosity.

"I was thinking… once we're back and done with our work, would you like to spar with me? I'd love to face you in a taijutsu duel, see what you can do", he said. "Sure thing", she answered to him. How out of place it seemed for Kakashi to make such a request at this time. He could have asked her at any time. Why now? Anko's mind struggled to find an answer, but she couldn't think of anything. Maybe she'd get her answer after the duel. Whatever the case, she was actually pretty excited about it. She wasn't the kind of person to back away from a challenge, plus it would be a good opportunity to get to know him a little better, see what kind of man he was. He was… intriguing. A copy-cat ninja, who liked erotic novels, always looked bored and was never on time. Definitely not your usual middle-aged ninja. He was the only guy in the village whom she felt really comfortable with, the only one she had considered making her friend after Orochimaru disappeared. And now, she had this chance. Anko smiled to herself, slightly nodding her head in agreement, her eyes flashing with excitement and decisiveness.

Kakashi didn't notice her, though, his own mind full of thoughts about what had just been said. It was one of the few times he was utterly excited. He hadn't dueled someone in taijutsu for quite a while, and that made him all the more eager to test himself. And, of course that would prove a great opportunity for them to spend some time alone, apart from anything else. He smiled to himself in that thought. He had never dated a girl, so he was totally inexperienced in all of this, not counting the things he had read in erotic novels. Though most of these were not really that realistic. "Let's see what will happen" he thought to himself. His mind started drifting about, going from one random thought to another. Should he hold back at the duel? Should he go all out, use all of the tricks he had up his sleeve? He pondered between the two alternatives, and settled on fighting normally, the way he would if he were just training with his team. He wouldn't want to go all out and injure her.

Anko's mind was working on a similar level at that time. She thought about the whole situation again. She had managed to find Orochimaru's lab despite her injuries, found out about her past, fainted, and then Kakashi appeared to help her get home. Ah… if it wasn't for him, she'd probably have a lot of trouble in coming home all by herself. She had been attacked numerous times before finding the lab, from many natural beasts, including, but not limited to, dire wolves, bears, and some mountain lions. Normally she wouldn't have a problem in dealing with them, but the cursed seal was limiting her movements too much, stinging her in the worst possible moments, causing her to be very vulnerable as a result.

As all of these different thoughts drifted into their minds, time continued its flow, and the sun started to hide behind the mountains. As Anko was still pretty worn out from the whole experience, she could feel herself relaxing as she was holding onto Kakashi, her eyes beginning to close on their own because of her fatigue. "Hmmmm… I don't think it'd be strange or anything if I took a nap… I mean, it is Kakashi after all, not some stranger. " she thought, and then closed her eyes. Her heart beating steadily, she leaned her head over his shoulder.

Kakashi, noticing how she let her head rest against his shoulder, tightened his grip on her legs a little bit more, so that there would be no chance of her falling down from his back. As Anko fell asleep, her head resting on Kakashi's shoulder, an involuntary smile made its way onto his face. "Maybe now I can understand why Obito kept chasing Rin around all the time and tried to be with her. When you find someone you want to be close with, it only makes sense that you'd try at the best of your ability to accomplish exactly that." he thought. Anko wasn't like the other kunoichi of his village. She wasn't really that feminine, just a tomboyish young ninja who was rather bold and rough in many ways. But that was just what he liked about her. She was different, if not anything else. He smiled again. Most certainly, she made him happy just by being around him, a feat even Rin couldn't accomplish back at the time. He slowly turned his head sideways. Yup, she was fast asleep, breathing slowly but steadily. She looked so different when she was asleep, so innocent, and defenseless. Totally different from the badass ninja she was while awake.

As time passed, Kakashi eventually reached Konoha village. Just after passing through the gate, Anko started moving, a low groan escaping her lips. "Damn it, it's her wounds. I really have to get her to the hospital." With that thought, he increased his speed, reaching his absolute limit, and arrived at the hospital, rushing through the door, where two nurses quickly came by his side, understanding that there was an emergency. They immediately moved Anko to another room, where a doctor arrived and started treating her wounds. Kakashi, his limbs burning with exhaustion and his eyes beginning to close, let himself relax at a chair in the waiting room, falling asleep. Sometime later, a nurse woke him up, informing him that Anko was fine. He started for her room. Entering the room, he saw Anko on the hospital bed, but with no apparent serious wounds on her body.

-It's a good thing you came to pick me up when you did. Thanks to you, my injuries have been treated perfectly, and I will be able to leave the hospital in a matter of minutes from now.

Her eyes were looking straight into his. She winked at him.

"Maybe that taijutsu duel will have to wait for tomorrow." She sighed.

-It's ok, Anko. It's just some hours, after all. You need to rest. I don't want you to be injured again because of me being unable to wait.

\- It's not that. I'm actually looking forward to it, you know, and it frustrates me that I have to wait. Oh, whatever. With some rest I'm sure you won't stand a chance against me, Mr. copy-cat ninja!

She was messing around with him, as she often did. And he liked it. He liked how straight-forward she was, speaking her mind and not hiding her emotions.

-We'll see about that. Maybe you can defeat me, maybe not. Can a snake beat the son of Konoha's White Fang? I wonder.

He smiled after saying this, closing his eyes as he often did when smiling. Anko moved a little bit and leveled her body on her elbows. She let out a giggle.

-I'm probably going to leave now, so I thought, would you like to come for a walk with me? I feel like we could talk a little bit after what happened.

As Anko said this, she sat straight and then jumped off her bed. Kakashi, seeming a little surprised at the request, took a moment before he answered.

-Sure, I don't see why not. I also wanted to ask you about your journey to this place.

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement, and exited the room with her. Then, the nurses came, giving Anko permission to leave. A smile flashed on Anko's face when she heard that they could go, and she licked her lips, as she often did when excited.

"Come on, then." She said, walking towards the exit with a faster pace, her excitement becoming all the more apparent with each step as she quickly went out of the door in the blink of an eye, with Kakashi following her.

As she exited the hospital, Anko stopped abruptly and turned to face him. She looked a little bit weird, and creepy, Kakashi noted. Her skin had an unusual pale tone, similar to her master's, the moonlight that was illuminating her pale skin was giving her a really strange appearance, like a shining white snake. She smiled, her teeth flashing brightly in the moonlit night.

-Is it just me, or you are being a little bit slow? Come on, Kakashi, I have so many things I want to tell you!

She was so excited she couldn't keep still. Kakashi knew that she was active and all that, but he didn't know her to be like this. That was strange. She eagerly took a step towards him, turned to his side and lightly shoved him. Kakashi started walking in a normal pace, Anko walking beside him. She started speeding up, with Kakashi matching her stride, and after a while they were running, the cold breeze of the night making their hair dance, both of them becoming excited at the thrill of it all. Kakashi jumped on top of a short building on their way, a few blocks away from his apartment. Anko didn't hesitate at all, making the jump and landing next to him just a second later.

-I think I've found a good place for us to chat. Isolated, yet not enclosed at all. So… what is it that you wanted to tell me?

He sat down after his last words, bidding her to sit next to him. He stretched his legs and stood with his back straight, his eyes looking at her as she sat beside him. She licked her lips again, her gaze moving from the night sky to be set on him. He could feel her eyes piercing through him, suddenly feeling vulnerable and as though his mask couldn't hide his face anymore.

-You know, Kakashi, all this time… I haven't been clear with you about something, and I would like to make things clear, for our friendship's sake, if nothing else. Normally I'd just tell you, but I prefer to show you what I mean.

She chuckled after that last phrase. Her facial expression changed to something Kakashi recognized as extreme decisiveness. She slowly leaned in against him, her intense gaze having frozen him in place. Kakashi took a deep breath, averting his gaze from hers and trying to reposition his body a little further from her. But, the moment he looked away, Anko laughed, her hand flickered, and some splits of a second later, a torn piece of fabric was in her hand, while Kakashi was standing there in a wide-eyed expression, with some scratch marks still visible on his cheeks, chin and nose. A low groan escaping his lips, he slowly turned to face her, his mind buzzing with a set of different emotions. Surprise, disbelief, panic, even anger all storming in his head, surprise being the dominant one. Anko, on the other hand, seemed very pleased with herself.

-Got you! She said, laughing heartily.

-Now, I got to be honest with you. I most certainly did not see this coming. Many have tried to remove my mask, but you're the first one to succeed, even if you just tore it apart.

-Maybe it's because we weren't fighting. And you weren't really focused as you would be in battle. Regardless, I succeeded. And these marks sure look good on you.

She hissed, slowly licking her lips, a smirk making its way onto her face. Kakashi sighed in disappointment. What a woman she was. If it was anyone else he'd probably flee before they could see his face. But he didn't move. He turned to face her, his hands quickly removing what remained of his mask and tossing it next to him. He looked at her with a serious facial expression, his eyes peering through her. After a couple seconds of intense staring, Anko's facial expression changed to one of sadness.

-Forgive me, Kakashi. I just tricked you because I wanted to see your face. It's just that, I feel we can be so good friends… but I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who won't even let me see what they look like.

Her voice was betraying how she felt. Anko looked away from him, and sighed. Kakashi was left with his mouth open for a second, but then he came to his senses, laughing aloud. He moved his body closer to her, putting his left hand on her shoulder. As she felt him closer to her, Anko slowly turned her head to face him.

-No need for you to feel sorry or anything like that. You are right. You should have asked me to remove the mask instead of tearing it, but what's done is done, and I don't really care. Though I should have expected something like that from you, you careless, bold kunoichi!

After that last sentence, he playfully poked her cheek. Anko's expression turned from sadness to one of relief. Leaving a deep sigh, she laid down on her back, smiling again.

-You actually look a lot better without the mask. Maybe you should be unmasked more often. Or, what could happen is I could practice tearing it off. In all seriousness, I'm very happy that you aren't mad at me and you let me see your face. Thanks.

Kakashi laid down next to her. Crossing his hands behind his head, he was feeling relaxed, as the tension between them had dissipated after Anko's last words. Anko took a deep breath, ready to tell him about what she had found out.

-Remember how I had lost my memory after Orochimaru left the village? I made the trip to his old laboratory to see if being there could awaken my memories. And, I finally remembered what happened. All these years, I thought that he had abandoned me, leaving me alone to pursue his own selfish goals. I thought that I actually wanted to join him on his quest. As it turns out, he asked me if I wanted to go with him, but I refused, and he knocked me out, jumbling my memory. After that, I awoke to find you next to me, and the rest you already know.

She giggled after her last sentence. A couple of seconds passed while they sat in silence, with Kakashi thinking about what he had just heard. Her decision proved that she wasn't evil, like her master. She actually cared about the people of the village, about her comrades, and didn't want to assist Orochimaru in carrying out more human experiments. In the end, she was a good person. As he was thinking all these things, Anko's mind was actually on the present. She thought about her current situation, the fact that she'd open her heart to him and tell him all about her personal struggle with Orochimaru. But, he wasn't the type of person who would give away what he had been told. He was trustworthy. Maybe he wanted everyone else to think that he was just bored all the time, and mysterious, but Anko could see through that guise of his. And what she saw surprised her in a very pleasant way. He was actually very kind and very loyal to his comrades, while also being relaxed yet calculating and serious all at the same time. A very strange combination, resulting in a very unique personality. Kakashi then thought it was time to end the awkward silence.

-So, tell me more about yourself, Anko. What are your hobbies?

-My hobbies? Well, I don't really have many things I like doing in my free time, given the limited amount of time I have for myself. But, if I had to say… hmmmm… I don't really have many things I like. I like looking at the stars, relaxing in the woods, and lately I have begun practicing a couple of other things… singing, and drawing.

\- That's nice. Actually, that's very nice, the fact that you have found some creative things to occupy yourself with.

\- What about you, Kakashi?

-Me? Oh, you know… reading books, mostly. Though I also have started practicing how to play the flute...

He looked straight up in the sky after saying that. Anko leveled herself on her right elbow, turning her body on one side to look at him. She looked at him intensely for a couple of seconds. Then, out of nowhere, her smile flashed, and she nudged him lightly.

-Now that doesn't really seem like something you'd do. Normally you're only reading these books of yours, and in public, you pervert!

She winked at him, and continued to speak.

-But I guess everyone expands their interests at one point or another. You get so bored if you don't. I actually find it pretty nice that you play a musical instrument. Music is one of the best fine arts. I'd love to hear you play someday.

-Maybe tomorrow, after our duel, you can see what I know. Mind you, I'm still a novice. I can't play extremely complex melodies or anything like that.

-You don't have to, you know. All music is good music, as long as it sounds melodic.

After that last sentence, she yawned, and lied on her back again. It was getting pretty late. When they left the hospital, it was close to midnight already, and time was passing fast as they were chatting.

-Damn, I hate to say it now, but I have to get going. At this rate, I'm going to fall asleep here on the roof of this building. I so need some rest after all that I went through. But don't you worry, Kakashi, tomorrow you'll get your ass beaten for sure!

She licked her lips slowly, rolling her tongue around, and hissed. Kakashi, knowing that hiss to be a sound that indicated happiness, smiled. As he got up on his feet, he extended his arm towards Anko. Anko grabbed his hand, but then, in the blink of an eye, she quickly pulled his hand towards him and lunged herself upwards. She stepped on one leg, spun on her heel and used her weight to drive his hand to the floor while crouching again. This resulted in Kakashi being thrown over her head to land on the ground with his face some centimeters away from hers. Kakashi's uncovered eye was wide open, he wouldn't move at all or say a word, and he was breathless. After a couple of seconds of Anko holding his hand pinned down, Kakashi found his breath again.

-You just had to show off now, didn't you? You could have just taken my hand and gotten up, you know. Now, can you just let go?

He sighed. She was so unpredictable. Maybe she did that as a display of power before their duel, to see if she could surprise him. Maybe not. He couldn't know for sure. With her, he could never know exactly what was on her mind.

-Oh, this? Just a little reminder about whom and what you're going up against tomorrow. It wouldn't be wise to forget that, would it? Forget that, and you'll surely get a beating, copy-cat ninja. Let me see if you can live up to your reputation.

She smirked. Her face was getting closer and closer to his as she continued speaking. When her face was but a couple of centimeters away from his, she stopped, abruptly releasing his hand and at the same time, biting playfully at his nose. She was up on her feet and moving away from him some splits of a second later, utilizing her speed and reflexes at their maximum. As she jumped off the building, Kakashi followed her, jumping beside her and grabbing her arm before she could run away. She turned around to face him, a red mark still visible on the tip of his otherwise pale nose.

-I won't bother to comment on that bite much. Although it didn't feel that bad. I just wanted to ask you something before you go to sleep. Want to meet me at the open training field outside of Konoha? I think it's the perfect place for our duel. Meet me there two hours after sunrise, ok?

Anko nodded yes with her head, releasing her arm from his hold. Then, before she left, she quickly turned and bit him again, this time more gently, on his left ear. She smiled, winked at him, and disappeared into the night. Kakashi was overly pleased with the way things had turned out until then. Being all worn out as he was from running so much without a break, he quickly returned to his apartment, changed out of his uniform, and fell asleep seconds after lying on his bed. His sleep was peaceful, with no dreams at all because of his exhaustion.

When morning came, he stayed a little bit more than usual in bed, pondering about last night. As he got up and went to wash his face, he looked at himself in the mirror. The red marks left by Anko's nails and teeth were still visible on his chin, cheeks and nose, though his left ear had no mark on it whatsoever, as Anko was kind enough as to not bite him hard. He exhaled slowly, trying to keep his head clear and wake up completely. After a couple more deep breaths, he looked at himself in the mirror again, a smile slowly making its way onto his face.

He quickly donned one of the two extra masks he kept in his room, wearing his Jounin uniform and grabbing his wooden flute as well. After covering the eye with the Sharingan, he exited his apartment, and started swiftly for the place where they would meet. Anko, thinking that Kakashi would be late as usual, hadn't yet started towards there herself. She began moving towards there 15 minutes after him, moving at a medium pace, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and then running in the direction of the training field quite fast, but not so fast as to get tired quickly. When she got there, she stopped and looked around her, not really expecting to see Kakashi there. After about one second though, she heard a faint sound exactly behind her, and turned around to see Kakashi standing half a meter away from her.

-That's a first for you, being on time like that. I totally didn't expect to see you here right now.

\- I am surprised myself, you know. Although I do have a very, very specific reason for wanting to be on time. I will give you a briefing on that later, after our duel. Now, shall we begin?

He winked at her. Her face was calm, yet she was on the verge of laughing, her lips just barely lifting upside to form a strange, almost non-visible smile. She changed her stance, putting her left leg in front of the other and shifting her body to the side, her one arm pointed outwards and the other one positioned close to her waist, with the fingers touching and her fists open. Kakashi shifted to another stance, his legs opened just a little bit with his knees folded a little, his hands were placed in front of his chest with his fingers folding like the claws of an eagle. They took a couple of deep breaths, and it begun. Anko came in fast, rushing towards him, punching low with her right hand while the other one was guarding her upper body. Kakashi quickly redirected the punch aimed at his stomach with his right hand, and as he guided it to the side, his torso turned clockwise, following his outstretched hand. He retracted his hand back, his waist bent low and he kicked her with his right leg, aiming for her belly. As Anko saw his leg coming towards her, she rotated her body counter-clockwise while her left hand went down and blocked his kick mid-air. She pushed his leg back while taking a step to the front, her chest rotating clockwise, with her left hand moving in an arch towards his head, her fist clenched tightly. Kakashi managed to dodge her strike, but he was off-balance. He jumped backwards, readying himself again. Anko turned to face him. They were about 3 meters away from each other. Anko smirked, her eyes flashing with anticipation.

They went at each other again, trading blow for blow, raining punch after punch and kick after kick, no one seeming to gain an advantage over the other. After about 5 minutes of non-stop fighting at full force, Kakashi thought it would be good to end the stalemate as soon as he could. As Anko tried to kick him again, he saw an opening. Tired as they both were, she had a poor stance, her leg not supporting her weight properly. As Anko's leg moved towards his head, Kakashi turned and moved towards it, blocking her kick with one hand and grabbing her leg with the other. He quickly went down on his knees, driving her leg to the ground. Anko, with her poor stance, lost her balance completely and went down along with her leg, Kakashi guiding her body as easily as if it was a ragdoll. Kakashi turned while moving her leg, releasing it a few centimeters above the ground, grabbed Anko's waist and used her speed to throw her over his back, a move like the one she had used on him. Anko landed on her back, her face towards Kakashi's and her legs and hands harmlessly stretched outright. Kakashi quickly pinned her down, one arm wrapped around her neck, the other locking her head from behind, with both hands tied behind her head, tilting it slightly forward. It was a hold she couldn't hope to escape in her situation, laying on the ground as she was. She sighed. If this was a real taijutsu fight, Kakashi could have choked her in a matter of seconds.

-You win. That was a really nice move. You took advantage of the fact that I was tired, and used my poor footing against me. I would expect nothing less from you, Kakashi. Now, maybe we should rest for a little bit, don't you think?

Kakashi released his hold, gently leaving her head to touch the ground. He stood up, and offered her his hand. She clasped it and was on her feet, a big smile making its way on her face. Kakashi was similarly pleased with the way things had turned out up to that point, but now he was getting to the hard part of it all. He turned his head and stared into the distance, taking a couple of steps forward. He continued to stare into the distance, all the while not saying a word, thinking about what he might do next. Anko took a couple of steps forward as well, coming to stand beside him, and looked at him curiously.

-Is something on your mind? You seem puzzled, Kakashi. Want to sit down and rest? Clearing your head will probably help you.

Her voice contained only pure worry for him, nothing of her usual toxic tone. Kakashi came to his senses after a couple of seconds, shaking his head lightly, he slowly turned around, his gaze having shifted to one of focus and decisiveness, similar to the look Anko had when she decided to duel him. He walked a little bit towards her, the look disappearing from his face, and he looked upon her with a renewed, casual glare. He didn't want to spoil the fun of it. If he was going to get Anko to date him, he'd need a plan, and a good one at that. That little snake was known about how she wasn't really the type to get into relationships. Though that tone in her voice just now showed him that he had made some progress in advancing their friendship further, and that was a good start, for sure. They sat down close to each other, their breath having established a more natural rhythm, and they relaxed for some minutes without talking, just looking into the sky. Anko noticed, to her surprise, that the way Kakashi had sat down next to her had brought their hands awfully close to one another, so close were they, in fact, that she could feel the tips of his fingers touching her palm, while their bodies were similarly close to each other, their arms touching on the outside all the way from shoulder to wrist, with their legs stretched out in similar fashion. She could feel kind of awkward at that, as normally she kept her distance from everyone, at least so that they couldn't get so close, both physically and mentally, to her. But now there she was, sitting next to Kakashi like that, after having told him all about her difficult past. What was wrong with her? But, she did feel quite nice with all these things. Maybe it was time she dropped the all-mighty-lone-kunoichi act and let herself be close to the other shinobi. If she'd do that, she could probably even find herself a boyfriend, in time. She giggled at that thought. Kakashi, having heard her giggle, turned his head to regard her curiously.

-Oh, it's nothing, really. I just thought about something so peculiar that made me laugh. But, you were going to tell me why it is that you so wanted to be on time, remember, Kakashi?

-Right, I totally forgot about that. Well, it's quite simple, really. I just didn't want to keep you waiting. That's all.

He looked away while saying these last two words, and from his tone Anko realized that he was lying. She laughed and looked at him with a cold stare that could get most of Konoha's men shitting themselves in time.

-Is that really why you were here early, Mr. Copy-Cat Ninja? And don't you dare lie to me!

She smirked after that last sentence, her tone making it perfectly clear that she would get really pissed off if he did lie to her. So, Kakashi did the only logical thing that could be expected from a shinobi under the threat of Orochimaru's former student, and answered truthfully. He answered that no, it wasn't the real reason: the real reason was because he wanted to see her as soon as he could. Anko seemed more than a bit surprised to hear that. She looked straight into his eyes, her smirk making way for a true, wide smile.

"Heh. So, that was it. At least I didn't have to force the answer out of you, so that's good. " She chuckled. "To be honest, I'd expected something different. That answer caught me totally off-guard." She smiled again. Kakashi had never seen her, or most shinobi, smile so often. Come to think of it, she had started smiling more often ever since he saw her on that island. If he considered what had happened to her on the past days, though, it all made sense. She was now free of her past, free of the burden for having served under Orochimaru for so long. She could now see him for what he truly was, and rid herself of any thoughts she might have had that he abandoned her because she was weak. Kakashi was happy for her. She could move on with her life, finally, after so many years. She was still so young, after all. Much like himself. Now was his chance. He had the circumstances arranged perfectly. Now all he needed was a simple, minor distraction. And he had that ready. Anko wanted to listen to him playing the flute. And so he would. He chuckled at the thought. Anko, thinking that his chuckle was related to her response, gritted her teeth and nudged him lightly, laughing a lot after he didn't respond. He was absent-minded. Quite unusual behavior, especially for him. He wasn't the type to get distracted, save for when he was reading these books of his. Anko waved her hand quickly in front of his face. "Hey, snap out of it, Kakashi! What's gotten into you all of a sudden? " . Kakashi didn't react for 3 more seconds. But 3 seconds was all that intelligent shinobi needed to complete the details of his simple, but hopefully effective, plan. He blinked a few times and turned to regard Anko, changing his stance so that were sitting very close to each other, their legs folded in front of them, their faces barely 10 centimeters apart. Anko didn't miss the move, but didn't pay it much heed, either.

-You wanted to listen to me playing the flute, didn't you, Anko? A promise is a promise. Should I begin?

He winked at her, reaching into the inside pockets of his green vest and pulling out a simple, wooden flute with some intricate carvings on one end. Anko couldn't make out what the letters scribbled on the flute were about. It was Kakashi's work, after all. He had a thing for calligraphy, apart from all of his other little obsessions. What a perfectionist that guy was, in some things. She blinked a couple of times, clearing her head, readying herself to listen to his music. Kakashi started playing, his fingers constantly moving across the wooden flute, while a string of tunes could be heard. He was better than he thought, Anko realized. The melody started low, heavy tones that gradually became faster and higher, reaching a point where his fingers were moving so fast across the flute that they almost looked like a blur. The melody maintained a steady rhythm, ranging from heavy to low, alternating between the two extremes with tunes very fluid and continuous. It was breathtaking. She could actually decipher the rhythm as something familiar. In truth, the alternating of the heavy and low tunes marked the moments of striking during taijutsu training. She giggled. "Leave it to Kakashi to take something so boring and turn it into something great." , she thought. After about 4 minutes, he was done. Breathless, he left the flute on the ground beside him, and looked at Anko. His cheeks were crimson red, his breath was coming out in short and fast puffs of air. Anko looked at him with a renewed look, one filled with awe and respect. She smiled again, lowering her head so that Kakashi couldn't see her blush. He was just… great, after all. Perfect in so many ways, it was actually hard to believe. But she wouldn't let him get too full of himself. Never that. She smirked while still looking down. "So, Anko, tell me, what did you think?" said Kakashi as he was still trying to catch his breath. Anko kept smiling and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Kakashi… take off your mask." …Her smirk left no doubt as to what sinister things she would do to him if he didn't comply. But Kakashi wasn't going to be scared in the same way again. That smile could also be a bluff, after all. Kakashi smiled as well.

-And what if I say… "No"? I doubt you could tear my mask off again like you did yesterday, little snake. Besides… why would you even want me to take off my mask now?

Then, the random thoughts in Kakashi's brain were all lined up with his plan in a split of a second. Perhaps taking his mask off wasn't such a bad idea, after all.

-Don't make me wrestle with you in order to take the mask off, Kakashi. Even if I did, there's no way you could beat me in your current situation, after our duel.

Anko laughed heartily after these words. Kakashi looked away and let out a fake sigh. Things were going well. Better than he was expecting, actually. Maybe he could just risk everything and be done with it now. It was a quite good idea. Their faces were only 10 centimeters apart, after all. While still looking away, Kakashi removed his mask with a flick of his left wrist, and left it on the grass besides him. He turned to face her. Anko's heart began to race at the sight of him unmasked. Damn it was he handsome! Apart from all the other things that were nice with him, he also had that face, and that personality… had he no flaws whatsoever? He was too good. She couldn't hope to date him, not her. She was Orochimaru's student, a tomboy, and a loner Jounin. Why did he even invite her to this duel to begin with? Oh, wait… hadn't Kakashi mentioned something about wanting to see her as soon as possible? Could it be…that he liked her? No. There was not a chance. Not one in a million. She had to convince herself that so as to not her heart broken over the very-sure-to-happen refusal that he would give her if she made a move towards him. They could be friends, though. She could work towards that, and that would be quite good. Even as friends, she would have so much fun! While her mind kept jumping from one random thought to another, her eyes were staring into nothing.

-Anko? Hey, you asked me to remove my mask, so I did. Are you even listening to me? Anko!

He waved his hand in front of her face. Anko came to her senses, her eyes setting on his face.

-Sorry about that, I was just very focused on my thoughts.

-What could you possibly be thinking about to be so absent-minded?

He had her cornered now, even though he didn't know it .She could either lie, or… hell no! She had to lie. He would laugh at her if she didn't. She looked away and began speaking.

-Well, I was just thinking again about that whole incident on the island, about the way I got my memory back… it was really strange.

She kept looking away while speaking, her voice trembling a little bit while saying the word "strange". He couldn't blame her. She was right. But still, something felt amiss. She hadn't really mentioned that incident apart from last night, when she had told him everything. Why repeat the same thing now? Kakashi was puzzled, but then he also noticed how emphatically she looked away when saying that, and how her voice was shaking at the end. Anko was almost always confident and straight-forward, but the way she behaved now indicated that maybe she was lying. He wasn't sure, but if was just a feeling. She wasn't a good liar, for sure. Regardless, if he went on his with plan it would probably help to cheer her up. Or at least, that's what he hoped for. He hated seeing his friends feeling bad. Especially friends he was very close with. He was a little bit surprised at the fact that he and Anko had come so close in such a small amount of time, but, given the circumstances, it made sense. Suddenly, after some seconds, Anko turned her head to look at him, having that familiar look of decisiveness on her face. She sighed.

-I was lying. It wasn't that incident that I was thinking about. It's something else, something I'm quite sure you're going to laugh about if I tell you. Forgive me for lying, Kakashi.

Damn it, why was she telling him all that? Had she lost her mind? On the other hand, she just couldn't handle lying to him like that after he had listened to all her problems. It just wasn't fair. Kakashi giggled and looked her in the eyes, his look turning into a really serious one.

-If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Whatever you want. I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable just because I was overly curious. We can just pretend that never happened.

He winked at her. Anko smiled widely, feeling relieved. She had dodged a bullet right here. And it had been a pretty close call. Kakashi smiled as well, his face shining with happiness. It was one of the best days of their lives so far. Swiftly, but surely, Kakashi's look changed into one of excitement. He quickly leaned in, covering the distance between their faces before Anko could even blink. His lips were onto hers. He didn't move fast or anything, just brushing along the edges and slowly pressing down. Anko's eyes were ready to fly out of their sockets, so wide-eyed was she at the fact that Kakashi, the one and only Kakashi Hatake, that so-overly-perfect-shinobi, was kissing her. She couldn't even blink, let alone move. After Kakashi noted how she wasn't moving at all, he pulled his lips off hers, misunderstanding the situation. Anko stayed still for 2 more seconds, and then blushed. It was better than she could have possibly imagined. She muttered "Wow" under her breath, her eyes now looking into his. She reluctantly smiled again, noting how Kakashi's expression was beaming with happiness as soon as she did. She gently put her hand on his cheek, caressing him. Kakashi closed his eyes and smiled again, enjoying her touch. She suddenly pulled him close and kissed him, with Kakashi eagerly kissing her back. Anko's instincts began to take over, and her kiss turned into a fiery, passionate one. As they pulled off of each other, they again looked each other in the eyes, enwrapping themselves in a tight hug. Kakashi closed his eyes and put his head on her shoulder, relaxing. "Looks like my risk paid off" he said, which made Anko giggle like a little girl and lightly kiss his forehead.

"It sure did. I don't think I want to move from this position at all. Everything's perfect now." Anko laid down on her back, pulling him along. She was right. When lying down cuddling with her like this, there was nothing he would rather do. Kakashi smiled and kissed her again.


End file.
